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The Unknowns by Patty LaRoche
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Do the names “Fortunatus” and “Achaicus” and “Stephanas” ring a bell? How about Epanetus, Andronicus, Junias, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, Apelles, Aristobulus, Herodion, Narcissus, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis, Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes? Probably not names you considered naming your child.
Hint: they have to do with Paul in the Bible. You’ve got it? Great.
These are people in Paul’s life who assisted him in his ministry and were thanked by Paul for their contributions. They were little-known men and women who came alongside him to help where there was a need but known enough for Paul to give them recognition in his letters to Jewish converts.
For most of us, we probably have hundreds of “unknowns” with whom we have crossed paths who have made our lives better, those who without fanfare were there for us when we needed them most. I am blessed to have those people in my life. My brother David was one of them.
I remember the time my car was in the shop, my husband away on a baseball trip, and the only person I knew I could call was David. “No problem” was his answer, a familiar expression he used the many times I needed him. He pulled up in his junker truck, told me I needed to sit right next to him because there was a hole in the floor under the mat on the passenger side, and when I told him I thought that was weird, he said, “Suit yourself, but if I slam on the brakes and we come to a screeching halt, you might find yourself under the truck.”
I sat next to my brother. Better safe than weird, I guess.
To see what was behind him when he was driving, David reached under his driver’s seat and pulled out the side mirror that had broken off his truck. He proudly held it out the window, moving it to get the right angle. He thought nothing of it. I cracked up but knew, Beggars can’t be choosers.
David stopped for every hitchhiker and traveler in trouble. One day, he picked up a bicyclist, drove him to his farmhouse and let him sleep on the couch while David fixed his tire. He loved coaching and would call his players “French fries” if they messed up. Every player mattered to him, sometimes enough to discipline harshly so they would learn a valuable lesson. Countless nights, the lights would come on at the baseball field across from where we lived. There was David, working with a player who couldn’t sleep and asked for extra batting practice.
Not surprisingly, he died from a chain saw accident, sawing wood for widows who depended on him for their home’s heat. I never knew how much he did for others until his funeral when people shared endless stories about his sacrifice to improve their lives.
I have a feeling that we are going to be shocked at the people we see in Heaven, those “no-names” who spent more time on their knees than on their feet, those unsung heroes who never were about accolades or praise but, like Paul’s pals, were there at the right time to make others’ lives better. I pray I am one of those people. I hope you do too.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Oct. 10
USD234 Board Agenda For Oct. 13
Unified School District 234
424 South Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697
620-223-0800 Fax 620-223-2760
DESTRY BROWN
Superintendent
BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING
October 13, 2025 – 5:30 P.M.
AGENDA PUBLIC
1.0 Call Meeting to Order David Stewart, President
2.0 Flag Salute
3.0 Approval of the Official Agenda (Action Item)
4.0 Approval of the Consent Agenda (Action Item)
4.1 Board Minutes
09-11-25
4.2 Financials – Cash Flow Report
4.3 Check Register
4.4 Payroll – September 20, 2025 – $1,796,795.06
4.5 Activity Funds Accounts
4.6 USD 234 Gifts
4.7 Resolution 25-12 – Add/Correct Bank Signers Middle School
4.8 Declare Surplus Property – Vehicles to be sold at auction
5.0 Leadership Reports (Information/Discussion Item)
5.1 Superintendent’s Report (Destry)
5.2 Assistant Superintendent’s Report (Zach)
5.3 Assistant Superintendent’s Report (Terry)
5.4 Special Education Director’s Report
6.0 Winfield Scott Presentation
7.0 New Business
7.1 Donation to Fort Scott Community College – Bus #14 (Action Item)
7.2 2026 Health Insurance Renewal (Action Item)
7.3 Wrestling Mats and Wall Pads Purchase (Action Item)
7.4 Wrestling Locker Room Lockers and Benches Bids (Action Item)
8.0 Public Forum
9.0 Other Business – Personnel Matters – Time __________
10.0 Adjourn Meeting _____ (Time) David Stewart, President
2025 Gordon Parks Celebration Poetry Contest Winners Named
Fort Scott, Kan. — Winners of the Gordon Parks Museum Poetry Contest sponsored by Helen Townsend and
Trabar Associates, have been selected.
The theme was “What Does Your Heart See?”
A record 41 entries were received. The winner of First Place was Angele Martinez, Nevada. MO, with the poem
titled, “Shot Photo of the Heart”. Second Place was Liam-Warren Acaeron, Chicago, IL with the poem, “The
Stern of You and Me”. And Third Place was Corine Gaston. Tulsa, OK with the poem, “For Evelyn”.
There were four Honorable Mentions named:
Marissa Byers, Indianapolis, IN, with the poem titled ” Searching Seeing” Tracey Seals, Fort Scott, KS, with the poem titled, “What My Heart Sees” Aaliyah Teague, Wichita, KS with the poem titled, “The Middle Child” Raegan Neufeld, Pittsburg, KS with the poem titled, “My Home On the Prairie”
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $200, $150, and $100 respectively.
This poetry contest is inspired by a quote from Gordon Parks, “I feel it is the heart, not the eye, that
should determine the content of the photograph. What the eye sees is its own. What the heart can
perceive is a very different matter.”
Poets were invited to capture the essence of the theme.
Judges for the photo contest were Annette Hope-Billings and Poet, Cash Hollistah.
The poetry exhibit will be
on display on the Gordon Parks Museum facebook page facebook.com/fsccgpmuseum/ and the museum’s
website gordonparkscenter.org.
Angele Martinez, Nevada. MO, with the poem
titled, “Shot Photo of the Heart”
SHOT PHOTO OF THE HEART
Click.
Not to own.
To listen.
Listen to what beats.
Silence…
then a burst !
The heart opening :
It’s the camera lens.
To look ?
No. To feel.
Before shape,
Before contour,
Before the world even knows
It exists !
The eye may take
But it is the heart that receives !
Receives what we feel,
Echoing everywhere.
Where ?
Everywhere !
In streets,
In shadows,
In faces.
To catch the ephemeral
Which is only ephemeral in the moment
Because the message itself is powerful !
To capture the world
until it passes through us !
The world,
Not seen
But touched,
Then leaving…
More complex,
More real,
Carrying the moment away.
Liam-Warren Acaeron, Chicago, IL with the poem, “The
Stern of You and Me”
THE STERN OF U & ME
From the bleak of my now, I make a U-
turn, to see what my life of art must have navigated—
like 1996, when I used to palm a K1000,
strapped around my neck, lens dangling over my chest—
my art must have eyed all the better wearer of jeans,
must have zoomed into my guitar case a few feet away
a slice of the strap that held my dad’s yashica,
my art must still see the old crevices where
plaque was once pastries and pepsi, see
the chest that bounded when I heard Dad
is dead.
my art must still see this chest that caved in and out,
late at night, when I walked to the edge of the lake waters,
I can’t swim, I walked on, my body underwater, neck above surface,
until
my feet touched sand no more. Must still see this chest
that was pushed by a mysterious wave, back to the shore, and
I lived
to change my mind about unliving.
Must still see a microcosmically bent chest from a punch
at my homeless shelter, because
I have a lot of torn power, bold or be a bell, just
compressed when I wheezed in winter from a mild pneumonia,
my life of art eyes a stable ribcage from carrying fifty-pound
groceries from pantry to Mom, unmindful
of my spine, tapped of so much burden,
crimson blood to burgundy when it was 92 degrees
of walking miles from my Skokie Village to Howard train station.
Just now, I heart that there were once chiefs who met eagles
just to raid the future for a bow.
Just now, a goose and a car honk before the oncoming traffic
of snowstorm, to oversee this memo
that I am still a hull, for better shots,
between my stern and your meadow.
Corine Gaston,Tulsa, OK with the poem, “For Evelyn”.
For Evelyn
We used to walk and say hello to the trees,
the creeping phlox, the rockpools
She taught me how to hold my thumb
as a perch for the monarchs
Migrating through the pine barrens
and on and on over the tea-colored lake
I see a picture of the park with the chain-link fence
She points: I chased off boys
Throwing their shoes over the powerlines
And the forest is falling through me again.
Then one summer, she lay in hospice
and called out to god, her thin body all pain.
She held my hand tight in her grip
and when she was ready to go, she let go.
The morning light shined on
like it was any other day.
There was moss on the magnolia.
Clouded moonlight lifting its cloth from the tide
It brought me to my knees–my grandmother’s body
without my grandmother.
We buried her in a box and
slid the coffin into a granite wall.
She loved butterflies and dogwoods,
Dipping one hand in the rockpool
Watching the seaplanes through a lens–
Watching a single star bleeding white against blue
As if she said I’ve had enough of this earth.
Let me be reborn with one foot on the sky.
2025 Gordon Parks Celebration Photo Contest Winners Named
Winners of the Gordon Parks Museum photo contest,
sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography and Don Thompson Images, have been selected.
This year’s
theme was, “What Does Your Heart See?”.
141 entries were received, which was the highest number of entries ever.
First Place was Yasser Alaa
Mobarak, Alexandria Egypt, with the photo titled “Nepali Woman.”
Second Place was Kevin B. Jones, San
Francisco, CA, with the photo “2025 Cuba Revisited #2.”
and Third Place was Jacki Lunberg, Fort Scott, KS,
with the photo, “My Baby You’ll Be.”
There were five Honorable Mentions named: “Turn the Page” by KrystalCarter, (Las Vegas, NV), “Not Forgotten” by Mark Dolf, (Tulsa, OK), “SalsaFeet” by Robert D. Little, Stillwater, OK), “Best Friends Forever” by LeyaJanine, (Wichita KS). and ”A Love Without Words” by Mika Milburn,(Fulton, KS).
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $200, $75, and $50 respectively.
This photo contest was inspired by a quote from Gordon Parks, “I feel it is the heart, not the eye, that should determine the content of the photograph. What the eye sees is its own. What the heart can perceive is a very different matter. Photographers were invited to capture the essence of the theme.
Judges for the photo contest was professional photographer, Veretta Cobler and, established creative director designer, Donna Fumoso.
The photo exhibitwill be on display on the Gordon Parks Museum facebook page facebook.com/fsccgpmuseum/ and the museum’s website
gordonparkscenter.org.
###
FSCC Holds Special Meeting on Oct. 13
The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 13 at 12:30 pm in the Cleaver-Boileau-Burris Agriculture Building for meeting with the Higher Learning Commission peer review team.
The board will meet with the peer review team from 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm, and no action will be taken during this time.
At the conclusion of their time with the peer review team, but not before 1:15 pm, the board will take action on personnel items.
Juley McDaniel
Director of Human Resources
Fort Scott Community College
Uniontown City Council Agenda for Oct. 14, Unapproved Minutes of Sept. 9 Meeting
2025 Financials-September
The monthly meeting of the Uniontown City Council is Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
ROLL CALL: ___ Jess Ervin ___ Amber Kelly ___ Mary Pemberton ___ Savannah Pritchett
___ Bradley Stewart
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/PROJECTS
CITIZENS REQUESTS
FINANCIAL REPORT
Sally Johnson – Financial reports
APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA
- Minutes of September 9, 2025 Regular Meeting
- September Treasurers Report, Profit & Loss Report by Class & October Accounts Payables
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Codes Enforcement: Doug Coyan
Superintendent: Bobby Rich
Clerk Report: Haley Arnold
COUNCIL & COMMITTEE REPORTS
Councilman Ervin –
Councilman Kelly –
Councilwoman Pemberton –
Councilwoman Pritchett –
Councilman Stewart–
Mayor Jurgensen –
OLD BUSINESS
SEED Grant –
FEMA Flooding–
NEW BUSINESS
ADJOURN Time ____________ Moved by ______________, 2nd ___________________, Approved ___________
Unapproved minutes of the Sept. 9 meeting:
The Regular Council Meeting on September 9, 2025 at Uniontown Community Center was called to order at 7:00PM by Mayor Jurgensen. Council members present were Jess Ervin, Savannah Pritchett, and Bradley Stewart. Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting were Mike Ramsey, Codes Enforcement Officer Doug Coyan, City Superintendent Bobby Rich, City Treasurer Sally Johnson and City Clerk Haley Arnold.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/PROJECTS
Appointed Haley Arnold as city clerk and administered oath of office.
CITIZENS REQUEST
Michael Ramsey thanked the City and Bobby Rich for preparing the City for Old Settlers. Then asked what they could do better for next year. He gave a history of his family in the Uniontown area and asked about engraving family names on limestone posts in the park. Discussion followed and they will revisit the issue in November.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Treasurer Johnson presented the August 2025 Treasurer’s Report. Beginning Checking Account Balance for all funds was $245,981.25, Receipts $50,112.40, Transfers Out $14,524.00, Expenditures $29,453.83, Checking Account Closing Balance $252,115.82. Bank Statement Balance $254,515.61, including Checking Account Interest of $53.90, Outstanding Deposits $0, Outstanding Checks $2,399.79, Reconciled Balance $252,115.82. Water Utilities Certificates of Deposit $38,470.63, Sewer Utilities Certificate of Deposit $23,159.28, Gas Utilities Certificates of Deposit $45,384.38, Total All Funds, including Certificates of Deposit $359,130.11. Year-to-Date Interest in Checking Acct is $478.07, and Utility CDs $1,859.61 for a Total Year-to-Date Interest of $2,337.68. Also included the status of the Projects Checking Account for the month of August 2025, Beginning Balance $0, Receipts $0, Expenditures $0, Ending Balance $0. August Transfers from Sewer Utility Fund to Sewer Revolving Loan $1,402.00; from Water Utility Fund to GO Water Bond & Interest $1,622.00, Capital Improvement-Streets from Gas Utility $6,250.00, Capital Improvement-Streets from General Fund $2,500.00, Utility Capital Improvement-Streets from Sewer Fund $750.00, and Capital Improvement-Streets from Water Fund $2,000.00, for Total Transfers of $14,524.00. Net Income for the month of August $6,134.57, Year-to-Date Net Loss $11,747.92. Budget vs Actual Gas Fund YTD Revenue $99,944.18 (74.2%), Expenditures $87,000.59 (57.0%); Sewer Fund YTD Revenue $23,558.28 (63.3%), Expenditures $36,409.11 (79.0%); Water Fund YTD Revenue $75,122.87 (60.7%), Expenditures $80,511.66 (50.5%); General Fund YTD Revenue $107,379.44 (71.7%), Expenditures $138,852.82 (65.0%); and Special Highway YTD Revenue $5,979.53 (82.4%), Expenditures $3,708.70 (51.1%). The September 2025 payables to date in the amount of $37,426.70 were presented. The invoices from KMGA and Johnson Vaughn, PA have not been received by noon meeting day.
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion by Ervin, Second by Stewart, Approved 3-0, to approve Consent Agenda:
- Minutes of August 12, 2025 2026 Budget Hearing and Regular Meeting and August 14, 2025 Special Meeting
- Treasurer’s Reports, Monthly Transaction Report, Profit & Loss by Class Report & Appropriations Report
- Resolution 2025-0909-01 waiving the requirements of K.S.A. 75-1120a(a)
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Codes Enforcement Officer Doug Coyan reported 406 Fulton had not removed or covered junk vehicle in yard. 405 Hill St not keeping yard mowed. We will mow and bill. 201 Fulton is in compliance. 101 Washington is in compliance. 401 Sherman weedeating, junk vehicles, and trash issues; letter will be sent. 202 4th St mowing and weedeating not done. After discussion, we will contract out and bill to owner. Also, it was discussed getting quotes from mowing contractors for services next year.
Superintendent Rich informed the council of a quote from Kelly Electric to install three 50amp, 240 volt outlets along the north side of park for $1,100.00.
Motion by Pritchett, Second by Stewart, Approved 3-0 to accept quote from Kelly Electric.
Clerk Arnold requested to change office hours to 7:30AM-12:30PM, 1:00PM-5:00PM M-Th, 8:00AM-12:00PM F.
Motion by Stewart, Second by Ervin, Approved 3-0 to change office hours as presented, effective September 10, 2025.
Received dog complaint. Letter was sent to dog owner and owner replied with own complaint. Clerk Arnold will send a letter to both parties asking each to keep their own dogs under their control with ordinance attached.
COUNCIL REPORT
Councilman Ervin – nothing
Councilwoman Kelly – absent
Councilwoman Pemberton – absent
Councilwoman Pritchett – nothing
Councilman Stewart – nothing
Mayor Jurgensen – praised the clean up after Old Settlers, thanked Bobby Rich for asphalt along new side walk, and discussed seeding where the concrete was removed.
OLD BUSINESS
SEED Grant – Treasurer Johnson has started close out paperwork for the project.
FEMA Flooding (DR4800) Project – Received periodic updates on progress through FEMA system.
NEW BUSINESS
Executive session not needed.
Moved by Ervin, Second by Stewart,
Approved 3-0, to adjourn at 8:12PM.
FSCC Foundation Benefit Auction is Oct. 18
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Halloween Parade is October 25
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Asian Longhorned Tick Identified in Kansas
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) are alerting the public to the first known occurrence of the Asian longhorned tick (ALHT), Haemaphysalis longicornis, in Kansas. KDHE identified the ALHT after it was found on a dog in Franklin County last week.
ALHT is an exotic, invasive tick species that was first identified in the United States in New Jersey in 2017. Since then, it has spread westward across the U.S. and, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has now been documented in 21 states, with Kansas being the most recent (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/
“We have been monitoring the spread of the Asian longhorned tick, especially since it was confirmed in neighboring states,” Animal Health Commissioner Dr. Justin Smith said. “Now that it has been identified in Kansas, we have been in contact with accredited veterinarians across the state to remind them to be alert for this tick and to ensure they understand the risks.”
This prolific tick, which can reproduce without the need for a male tick, has both human and animal health implications. In 2019, an ALHT in Virginia was found to be infected with Bourbon virus, while Connecticut recently identified an ALHT infected with ehrlichiosis, both of which are tick-borne diseases that occur in Kansas but are currently transmitted by the Lone Star tick.
“We’re still learning about this tick and the ecologic role that it currently plays and may play in the future in terms of disease transmission to humans.” Dr. Erin Petro, KDHE State Public Health Veterinarian, said. “While the human health implications are uncertain, this tick has serious implications for animal health.”
The ALHT can cause extreme infestations on affected animals, sometimes leading to severe anemia or even exsanguination. Beyond the physical threat, the ALHT also transmits the cattle parasite Theileria orientalis Ikeda strain, which causes bovine theileriosis.
In 2024, KDHE piloted a program to create a passive tick surveillance network of veterinary clinics throughout the state. Through this program, participating clinics submit tick samples from animals in their care to KDHE for identification. This program has been successful in providing information on where various ticks are found across the state and has been especially useful in under-surveyed areas. One of these partners submitted a routine sample which was later identified as ALHT by KDHE and confirmed by the USDA. In both humans and animals, tick bite prevention is key.
To reduce the risk of disease, follow these precautions:
- Be aware of where ticks are found and using preventive measures when in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas.
- Dress preventively by wearing long pants tucked into socks and shirt tucked into pants.
- Treat clothing and gear with permethrin.
- Use an EPA-approved repellent such as DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) when enjoying the outdoors or being in a tick habitat.
- After coming indoors, perform a thorough tick check, being sure to focus on the waistband, under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, back of knees, and in and around the hair.
- Check pets for ticks, especially around the tail, between the back legs, under the front legs, between the toes, in and around the ears, around the eyes, and under the collar.
- Shower soon after being in a tick habitat or engaging in outdoor activities. This will help remove any unattached ticks and identify any attached ticks.
- To remove attached ticks, use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick near the skin, and apply gentle traction strait outwards until the tick is removed.
- Help prevent tick-borne diseases and tick infestations on pets by consulting with your veterinarian on use of a veterinary-approved flea and tick preventative.
- More information on tick bite prevention and controlling ticks in your environment can be found at Preventing Tick Bites | Ticks | CDC.
For more information on the Asian longhorned tick including where it has been found in the US, visit the USDA Longhorned Tick Story Map at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/
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Obituary of Nancy Ann Ellifrits
Nancy Ann Ellifrits, age 65, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at her home. She was born October 9, 1959, in Gardner, Kansas, the daughter of Vernon Charles Fortner and Anna Mae Deilman Fortner. Nancy had worked at area nursing homes as a nurse’s aide for thirty years. In earlier years, Nancy enjoyed taking walks around her neighborhood. Since her health failed, she spent quiet times at home doing diamond art pictures and playing computer games. She will be lovingly missed by her family, which she loved dearly.
Survivors include her children, David Kerr (Melody) of Beagle, Kansas, January Parker (Chris), Jeremy Kerr and Zelta Kerr all of Ft. Scott and Dorothy Miller (Travis) of Salina, Kansas; sixteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren with two more great-grandchildren on the way. Also surviving is a sister, Dorthy Bartlett (Mark) of Harrisonville, Missouri. Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, a great-grandson, four brothers and two sisters.
There was cremation and no services are planned at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.